Apparatus for superheating steam.



PATENTED MAY 26, 1908.

E. P. OSBORNE. I APPARATUS FOR SUPBRHEATING STEAM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1904.

J eaeFUaazwLG To all whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. EUGENE F. OSBORNE, or onIoAeo, ILLINOIS, ASSN-NEE TO OSBORNE STEAM ENGINEERIYNQ v COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR SUPERHIEATING screen.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2c, 1908.

Original application filed April 8, 1901, Serial N 0. 54,920. Divided and this application filed May 23, 1904.

; Serial No. 209,363. 1

Be it known that I, EUGENE F. OSBORNE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in A paratus for Superheating Steam; and I o hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being'had to the accompanying drawings, and to ill 1616i); ters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for superheating steam for usein steam engines and like uses and located between the steam generator and the engine or other point of use whereby a greater expansion of the steam may be secured and more power generated therefrom.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide an improved ap iaratus wherebysteam may be safely super eat-ed to a suithigh temperature for economic work an practice without danger-to the superheating apparatus, and a further object of the invention is to produce an apparatus by which the temperature of the steam may be maintained practically constant notwithstanding variations of the demand for the steam.

The su erheater herein disclosed is of' a class whidli may be termed a liquid superheater, wherein the heat to superheat the steam is transmitted to the steam through the medium ofa liquid, (preferably having a higher boiling point anc lower vaporizing point than water) as distinguished from what may be termed dry su erheaters wherein the steam is superheated y the direct action of flames playing about the pipes through which the steam asses. In the first class of su erheater, or t at to which this invention belongs, there is interposed between the fire that superheats the steam and the steam that is being superheated, two walls and a body of the superheating agent referred to. The superheating agent may be heated by a source of heat exvernalto and independentof that which generates the steam and may be therefore termed an inde endently fired super-heater. Such asuper eater possesses eater practical el'hciency than a dry superl i eater and is more durable and safe because of the fact that in the construction of such dry superheaters, if the apparatus be so located relatively to the bo" er furnace as to be efficient, it becomes unsafe because of the high temperature to which the superheater is exposed, while on the other hand if the ap aratus be so located as to be relatively sa c it becomes inefficient. In the resent invention the steam may be heate to as high. a temperature as may be practically desirable while at all times the ap aratus is hi hly' efficient and durable an entirely sa e.

I have shown in the drawings one form of apparatus which may be conveniently em P oyed for carrying out my invention, said drawings showing diagrammatically a steam superheating device and a steam enerator, and illustrating the manner in which it is connected with the generator.

As shown in said drawings, A designates a steam generator which is designed to supply steam to operate an engine (not showri) in the usual manner.

B designates as a whole, a heat'transmitter, consisting of a casing which is closed at its ends by end walls b I). Said casing is provided interiorly with two diaphragms or heads B B which divide the easing into an intermediate chamber B and two end cham- Contained within said intermc- E designates a pipe which communicates I with the lower chamber B of the heat transmitter and terminates at its lower end in a coil E and E designates a i which eX- tends from the o posite end 0 said coil to the upper chamber 5 of the heat transmitter. 'e coil E is subjected to heat from a suitable burner and is shown as inclosed within a chamberll. The burner for heating the contents of the coil consists, as herein shown," of a gas burner G located in the bottom of the chamber F and supplied with fuel through i the medium of a supply pipe G I a passa H designates a thermostat which is located steam eduction pipe D. Said thermostatis operatively connected with the upper end of a rod 1, the lower end of which rod is connected with a valvie G which is located Wltlk. in the fuel supply pipe G.

G designates a pipe leading from the sup. pl pipe G1 at a point outside the valve G to a burner jet g located within or adjacent to the annular burner G. The burner g serves as a pilot burner for relighting the main burner in case the su ply of gas thereto should'be entirely cut 0 temporarily by .the'

action of the thermostat.

Thepipe E, coil E and pi e E the end chambers B B and the tubes constitute a heat conducting circuit through which is ci.r culated aliquid 'su erheating agent, while the pipe C, chamber 3 and pipe D constitute e for the steam by means of which the same is brought into heat transmitting relation with the superheating agent circulated in the heat conducting circuit. Said within a fitting D forming a part of the su'perheating agent receives heat from the burner G and is caused to circulate continuously through the heat transmitting circuit so long as heat is applied thereto. The steam is continuously assed over the tubes B of the heating con ucting circuit, and a portion of the heat of the superheating a cut 1s given oil to the steam with the resu t of raising the temperature of the steam or superheating the same. The li uid used as a superheating agent is referab y one which has a" boilin higher eatin tem erature which't e steam is generated, so that a higher temperature may be maintained in the superheating circuit than in the steam generator or boiler,

with little or no pressure in said circuit. In

this manner a suitablyhigh tem erature may be maintained to highly super eat'the steam without endangering the su erheating apparatus. The liquid em loye as a heat conducting medium may be inseed oil, brine, a metal having a low fusing point and a bi h boiling point, or any other suitable fluid. t will be observed that the steam passes through the heat transmitter in a direction opposite tothe direction of flow of the superheating agent, whereby the-hottest part of the superheating agent within the transmitter is-brought into heat transmitting relation to the hottest steam and the gradually cool ing superheating agent is brought into like re a tion to the incoming or cooler steam. Thisarrangement is preferred by reason of its greater eiiiciency and is equally preferable wit any kind of liquid superheating agent.

K designates a safety valve which is in communication with the upper chamber B of the heat transmitting casing and which 1 11s I have herein ducting circuit as suppliedwith heat from a provides against injury to the casing from ressure of vapor or gas rising from the heatmg conducting medium., 3 As before stated, the thermostat I is lodated within the discharge ipe Dof the heat transmitting chamber or tl iatleading to the point ofuse or consumption of the supereated steam so as to be subjected to the full leaves said heat transmitting chamber. The thermostat is adjusted in a manner to be ac tuated at a selected temperature, or at a temperature at which tain the steam in the ipe D, so that it willbe operated to actuate t e yalve at a variation from such selected .or given tem erature eitherabove or below the same. 11 other words, when the temperature 6f the steam exceeds that which has been predetermined,

the thermostatopera'tes to close the valve G to decrease or cut-oft the supply of fuel to the influence of the superheated steam after it it is'desired to mam coil E while, on the other hand, when said I tem e'rature 1s reduced'below that of such 'pre etermined point; the thermostat operates to open 'thevalve and ermit an increased su 'ply ofiuel to said urner with a correspon mg increase in temperature-of'the su erheating agent.

vapor or gas burner, it will be obvious that shown the heat con-- the source of heat to the circulating medium may be the'furnace which supplies the boiler A with heat.

asthe casing F and said flue provided with a damper which may be connected with the.

thermostat and operated in a manner similar to that in which the valve G is operated;

to the-heat ap lied to the steam generator,

so that the'con itions which overn the heating of the steam generator w l have no effect on the heat which is applied to the superheating agent. An advanta e of the regulation of'the heat applied to t e heat conducting circuit is that the temperature of the steam may be maintained practically constant, and the use of the 'fuel to heat the superheating agent is economical.

herein disclosed is claimed in The process my co-pending application for U. Spl lotters Patent, No. 54,920, filed April 8th, 1901, of which this application is a division.

I claim as my invention:'

1. apparatus for superheating steam In this case, av flue may be directed from said furnace to the casing, such loo v for varying the intensity of t comprising, in combination with erator, a superheater arranged between the generator and the point of use of the steam through which the steam passes to its point of use, said superheater embracing a passage or passages 111 which circulates a li uid,

through which liquid and the walls 0 the passage or passages the heat to superheat the steam is transmitted, a source of heat for heating said transmitting li uid and means e heat applied to said transmitting liquid.

' the walls of the passage embracing a passage or assages in which circulates a liquid, throug which liquid and or passages the heat to superheat the steam is transmitted, a source of heat independent of thatwh'ich heats the steam in the generator for heating the said transmitting liquid, and means for varying. the intensity of the heat applied from said source to the transmitting liquid.

a steam gen- 3. An independently fired steam super-J heating apparatus comprising, in combination wlth a steam generator, a su erheater arran ed between thegcnerator an point of I use 0 the steam'through which the steam passes to its point of use, said superheater embracing a' passage or assages 111 ,which circulates a liquid, throng 1 whichliquid' and the Walls of the passage or to superheat the steam heats the steam in the-generator for heating the said transmitting liquid, and means controlled by the temperature of the steam which passes from the superheating appara 'tus for varying the intensity of the heat .ap-

1plied from said source to said transmitting i uid.

n testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses, this 12th day of May A. D. 1904.

' EUGENE r. OSBORNE. Witnesses:

WILLIAM L. HALL, GEORGE R.WILK1NS.

passages theheat is transmitted, a source of heat independent of that which 

